Humour Me

After seven years, Jesse Winchester returned to record stores with a well-crafted pop album made up of new originals in his familiar, winning style. He mixed elements of folk, rock, country, R&B, and gospel on the songs, employing a first-rate backup group featuring new grass stars Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O'Connor, plus saxophonist Jim Horn. These pros were able match Winchester's forays into light gospel ("Let's Make a Baby King") and R&B ("Well-A-Wiggy," which had been a hit for the Weather Girls), as well as the straightforward romantic pop songs that made up the bulk of the record. Humour Me lacked the depth of Winchester's best work, but it was easily on a par with his substantial body of craftsmanlike music of the mid-'70s. His voice remained warm and supple, so that his own versions of the songs were effective, and the album also served as a demo for other singers in search of good pop material. ~ William Ruhlmann